Ashley Hubbard Memorandum Book, 1826-1860.

Born in 1792, Ashley Hubbard was raised on a farm in Sunderland, Mass., and spent a life invested in agriculture. Prospering in both work and family, Hubbard owned one hundred acres of land at the height of his operations and had a successful, though relatively small scale run of livestock, including horses, oxen, milk cows, and sheep.

In this slender volume, a combination daybook and memorandum book, Hubbard maintained a careful record of breeding and maintaining his livestock. Succinctly, the memos make note of the dates and places on which he serviced horses, took heifers or cows to bulls, or pastured his stock, and there are occasional notices on sheep.

Subjects

Cattle--Breeding--Massachusetts--Sunderland

Farmers--Massachusetts--Sunderland

Horses--Breeding--Massachusetts--Sunderland

Livestock--Massachusetts--Sunderland

Sunderland (Mass.)--History

Types of material

Iron Trade Business Ledger, 1801-1810.

1 vol. (0.25 linear feet).Call no.: MS 196 bd

In the ledger entitled “Petty Debts: B, Iron Accounts,” 1801-1810, the unidentified Northampton based owner kept track of the outstanding debts for iron he sold. Most of the entries simply refer to a page number in another, presumably more detailed, daybook, sometimes adding “to iron” or “to steel.” The title “Iron Accounts” suggests the possibility the owner kept books for other commercial accounts as well.

Subjects

Iron industry and trade--Massachusetts

Types of material

Karuna Center for Peacebuilding Records, 1994-2006.

4 boxes (1.75 linear feet).Call no.: MS 580

Founded in Amherst, Mass., by Paula Green and associates in 1994, the Karuna Center for Peacebuilding addresses the global challenges of ethnic, religious, and political conflict. Often partnering with other regional, governmental, educational, or religious organizations, the Center regularly conducts courses, workshops, and other programs with the goal of addressing the root causes of conflict, preventing escalation, and fostering reconciliation. From their early efforts in Bosnia and Kosovo, they have branched out to more than twenty countries, including Afghanistan, Nepal, South Africa, and Palestine.

The Karuna Center collection is a record of an industrious organization committed to building peace internationally. The Center retains records of each international program, including copies of materials used during training and workshops and photographs and summary reports of their activities.

Rufus Kellogg Ledger, 1840-1850.

A notable figure in Amherst, Mass., prior to the founding of Amherst College, Rufus Kellogg was born on July 16, 1794, the child of Jerusha and Joseph Kellogg. Married to Nancy Stetson in June 1820, Kellogg made a successful, if highly varied living, serving as town postmaster (1809-1824), keeping an inn and tavern at the “City” beginning in 1818, and farming, and he became a stalwart of the local Masonic lodge. His son Rufus Bela Kellogg rose even higher on the social ladder, graduating from Amherst College in 1858 and became a prominent banker.

A diverse and fairly complicated book of records, the Kellogg ledger is part waste book, day book, memorandum book, and account book, marking records of lending a horse and sleigh are interspersed with accounts for the sale of grain and hay, boarding locals, repairing pumps, and other miscellaneous transactions. Although it is unclear precisely which member or members of the Kellogg family kept any individual record, it appears that Rufus must have initiated the book, although later entries were clearly made by one or more of his children.

Subjects

Amherst (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th century

Farmers--Massachusetts--Amherst

Hotelkeepers--Massachusetts--Amherst

Merchants--Massachusetts--Amherst

Types of material

Edward W. Kinsley Papers, 1863-1891.

1 box (0.5 linear feet).Call no.: MS 101

A wool dealer in the firm of Horswell, Kinsley, and French of Boston, Edward W. Kinsley captured his memories of the Civil War in a series of written reminiscences. These typescript copies include his memories of the raising of the 1st North Carolina Colored Regiment, his second visit South and the Emancipation Proclamation Celebration, General Tom Stevenson’s confirmation as Brigadier-General, the second election of President Lincoln, and the fall of Richmond among others. The collection also includes passages from Kinsley’s diary, letters, a scrapbook, photographs, newspaper clippings, and notes from the diary of Edward’s wife, Calista A. Kinsley.

Subjects

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

Contributors

Kinsley, Edward W.

Types of material

Krakowiak Polish Dancers of Boston Records, 1937-1997.

1 box (0.5 linear feet).Call no.: MS 466

The oldest active Polish folk dance ensemble in the United States, the Krakowiak Polish Dancers of Boston was formed in 1937 by a group of young ladies of Polish heritage interested in promoting Polish culture through the mediums of song and dance. The club opened its membership to young men in 1947, and was offcially incorporated in 1957. Since its formation, the dancers have appeared throughout the U.S., Canada, and Poland, and the group has received recognition and awards worldwide, including a special performance before his Holiness Pope John Paul II in 1983.

The collection includes programs for performances from the club’s earliest days, tickets, newspaper clippings featuring articles about the group, and copies of the organization’s constitution describing the group’s mission and membership.

Contributors

Lesinski-Rusin Family Papers, ca.1910-1925.

2 boxes (1 linear feet).Call no.: MS 131

The Lesinski and Rusin families represent the average working-class Polish family settled in the Pioneer Valley during the early twentieth century. Numerous family photographs document important occasions for the families, such as baptisms, first communions, and weddings, while photographic postcards and commercial postcards document their relationships, interests, and travel. The collection also includes Polish-language textbooks and a Polish-English dictionary, which suggest that learning English may have been both a challenge as well as a priority.

Types of material

Stanley Lipski Papers, 1939-1990.

1 box (0.25 linear feet).Call no.: MS 357

Born in 1911, Commander Stanley Lipski was an Annapolis graduate and Naval intelligence officer. A Russian language expert, Lipski had been stationed in Finland prior to the start of World War II and was in Riga, Latvia during a Russian invasion in 1940. He died in the Philippine Sea when the USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine in July 1945.

The Stanley Lipski Papers contain newspaper articles about Lipski, a letter informing his family that he was killed in action, as well as information pertaining to the court martial of Charles McVay, captain of the USS Indianapolis. Also included are photographs of the Polish officer corps that Lipski took with him when he escaped Latvia in 1940.

Fall River Loom-Fixers' Association Records, 1895-1917.

Members of the Fall River Loom Fixers Association included some of the most skilled workers in the New England textile industry. The association, on behalf of its members, sought to improve poor working conditions, to provide assistance for members affected by pay reductions or layoffs, and to intervene in conflicts between members and management. The union also served a social function, organizing parades, social gatherings, and excursions. In the 1910s it became affiliated with the United Textile Workers for America.

Records of the Loom Fixers Association include executive committee minutes (1900-1901 and 1911-1917), a treasurer’s book (1901-1905), and six dues books (1895-1907).

Frank Lyman Papers, 1927-1980.

A manufacturer of electronics and radio communications, Frank Lyman was a native of Northampton and graduate of the Williston Academy and Harvard (class of 1931). The grandson of Joseph Lyman and great-nephew of Benjamin Smith Lyman, Lyman joined Harvey Radio in the late 1930s, during a time when it was building radio transmitting equipment, purchasing the company in 1940 and becoming its president. An investor in Boston-area radio stations, Lyman oversaw the company’s post-transition into the manufacture of of autmomatic machines and tooling and its merger into the electronics firm, Cambridge Thermionic Corporation (later renamed Cambion) in 1968. Lyman died in 1992, followed by his wife, Jeanne (Sargent), in 2005.

The Lyman Papers contain business correspondence and associated documents relating to both Harvey Radio Corporation and Cambridge Thermionic Corporation, along with associated materials pertaining to Frank Lyman’s investments and personal interests. Beginning during his time at the Williston Academy and extending through his adult life, the collection includes Lyman’s diaries and a small amount of personal correspondence.